The history of the kings and prophets of Israel can be very detailed and confusing. The lists of names seem endless and nearly impossible to remember. The events fly by in rapid succession and while they are linear, they weave back and forth between two Israelite nations.

Why are they important for us to read?

When we read these two books we are eavesdropping on a conversation the people of Israel had about themselves. The books of 1 & 2 Kings and 1 & 2 Chronicles were written to answer two burning questions:

• The two books of the Kings were written to ask How did we get here?as Israel was being forced out of the Promised Land by the Babylonians.
• The two books of the Chronicles were written to ask Does God still love Israel?as Israel returned from seventy years of exile.

Just as nations today review their history to understand their current circumstances, so Israel looked back on the era of their kings to understand the circumstances of their exile.

The Difference Between Kings and Chronicles

The books of the Kings were recorded near the beginning of Israel’s exile and captivity in Babylon. The author is unknown, but it was probably a prophet like Jeremiah who searched Israel’s history to learn why Israel had lost God’s favor. Why did he allow Jerusalem to be destroyed, including the temple, when he had said his Name would be there forever? Why were the Israelites being swept from the Promised Land and into exile in Babylon?

1 and 2 Chronicles were written at the end of the seventy years of exile in Babylon and Persia. King Cyrus gave a decree that the Jews should be allowed to rebuild the temple and the city of Jerusalem, and Israel returned to Judah. The priests who led in the return from exile reviewed the stories of the kings to discover where the nation stood with God now.

Kings tells the stories of all of the kings in both Israel and Judah. Chronicles concentrates on the Davidic line in Judah. By the time the people in the land of Judah went into exile, the ten tribes that comprised the land of Israel had been gone for about 130 years.

War Between Baasha and Asa

The kings in Israel sometimes came to the throne through family succession, but more often by overthrowing the sitting king and taking his place. Jeroboam’s son Nadab succeeded him, but he was only on the throne for two years before Baasha killed him and made himself king.

In Judah King Asa had succeeded his father Abijah, the son of Rehoboam. Asa was a good king who relied upon God and tore down the high places of idolatry in Judah. He and Baasha carried on a running battle over the border lands between Israel and Judah.

God wanted King Asa to call on him whenever he needed help, but Asa chose to rely on an earthly source to deal with King Baasha. He raided the treasuries of the temple and his own palace, sent all of their silver and gold to King Ben-Hadad in Damascus, and asked him to fight Baasha on behalf of Judah.

This put King Baasha into an impossible situation. Now he had Judah pressing him from the south and Ben-Hadad attacking him from the north. He abandoned his position in Ramah on his border with Judah and withdrew deeper into Israel.

Asa took Ramah then mustered the people of Judah to collect the building materials Baasha left behind in Ramah and used them to fortify cities Asa captured inside Israel.

God wasn’t pleased with Asa when he turned to Ben-Hadad instead of relying on him. He sent Hanani the seer to tell Asa that from then on he would always be at war. This made Asa furious and he imprisoned Hanani. He also became brutally oppressive toward his people.

A Series of Kings In Israel

Up in Israel, Jehu, the son of Hanani was also a prophet and he had bad news for King Baasha.

“[The Lord said] ‘I lifted you up from the dust and appointed you ruler over my people Israel, but you followed the ways of Jeroboam and caused my people Israel to sin and arouse my anger by their sins. So I am about to wipe out Baasha and his house, and I will make your house like that of Jeroboam son of Nebat. Dogs will eat those belonging to Baasha who die in the city, and birds will feed on those who die in the country.’” 1 Kings 16:1-7

King Baasha died and his son Elah succeeded him and ruled for the next two years. While Elah was getting drunk in the home of his palace administrator one day, Zimri, one of his officials, struck him down and took his place. Zimri then killed off everyone who remained from Baasha’s family and friends, just as God had foretold. Baasha’s whole house was wiped out.

A Turn for the Worse

King Elah’s army were angry at the news of his death. When they heard that Zimri had plotted against the royal household, they chose a man named Omri to be their commander and marched on the city of Tirzah to deal with King Zimri. Rather than face them, Zimri set the palace on fire and died inside it.

Israel split into two factions for a short time, with some supporting Tibni son of Ginath for king and the rest supporting Omri. Omri won the contest and became king of Israel for the next twelve years. He purchased a hill from a man named Shemer and built the city of Samaria there.

Sadly, Omri was the worst king Israel had until that time and he led the nation into idolatry that angered God.  When Omri died, his son Ahab carried on with idolatry and even introduced Baal worship to Israel when he married a Sidonian woman named Jezebel.

“Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to arouse the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than did all the kings of Israel before him.” 1 Kings 16:33

Prophecy Fulfilled

During Ahab’s time a man named Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho. Joshua had cursed the man who did that after Israel defeated Jericho more than five hundred years earlier (Joshua 6:26). Hiel lost his firstborn son when he laid the foundation of Jericho and he lost his youngest son when he set up its gates.

Two Kings in Judah

King Asa remained an angry man throughout the rest of his life. He developed a serious disease in his feet and still refused to humble himself and ask God for help. He died after 44 years as king in Judah.

Asa’s son Jehoshaphat succeeded him and started his reign right. He looked to the ways of his great-great-great grandfather David and sought God the way David had. Jehoshaphat rejected Baal worship and the other religious practices of his northern neighbors and led Judah to be devoted to the Lord.

King Jehoshaphat organized teaching teams to go to the towns of Judah and instruct  people in the Law of Moses. God was so pleased with this that he gave Jehoshaphat peace with all of the nations that surrounded Judah. The Philistines and Arabs even brought him gifts.

Jehoshaphat became more and more powerful and was able to build fortifications and store houses in the towns of Judah. He had a strong, well-equipped army. King Jehoshaphat was a good example of how God blessed the nation that pleased him.

Lessons from Kings and Chronicles

The prophets and priests who wrote Kings and Chronicles got their information from histories “written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel” (1 Kings 16:27) and “written in the annals of the kings of Judah.” (1 Kings 15:23) They meticulously reconstructed the histories so they could understand how God related to his people.

If you were a historian trying to piece together what God wants from his people, what would you learn from today’s stories? Why did he get angry with Baasha? Why was he so pleased with Jehoshaphat? What made God bless some people and curse others?

The things the writers of the Kings and Chronicles learned 2500 years ago are still relevant today for anyone who wants a good relationship with God. It’s hard to keep the  names and places straight, but try to keep track of the principles that emerge. You will learn what pleases God and brings his blessing on your life.